The present invention is related to the field of crab meat recovery apparatus and more particularly to such apparatus that utilizes rolls for squeezing the meat successively from the exoskeleton through the use of rollers.
The marketing price differential is very substantial between whole or chunk type crab meat and "riced" crab meat (shredded). For example, a recent quoted figure is two dollars per pound for chunk or whole pieces of crab meat while riced meat is marketable at approximately one dollar per pound. The difference in obtaining the forms of meat, whether it be whole or riced, is often determined by the machinery utilized to separate the crab meat from its surrounding shell. Often, a roller type machine is utilized wherein the crab meat is successively squeezed outwardly of the shell. This has proved to be somewhat effective but a certain percentage of the meat is expected to be carried on through between the rolls. This meat is essentially destroyed for the purposes of marketing as whole or chunk type crab meat. It can therefore be understood that it is very desirable to obtain a separating machine that will operate as efficiently as possible to separate whole pieces of meat from the crab shells without damaging the meat to such an extent that it must be shredded and sold as riced meat.
United States Pat. No. 3,325,856 to H. J. Pack et al granted June 20, 1967 discloses a crab handling apparatus that completes the whole operation of butchering and removing the meat from crab bodies. The mechanisms utilized in this device to separate the meat from the bodies is comprised of paired conical rolls. The rolls are held in tangential contact. In fact, they are pressed together to form ridges at the point of contact. Crabs parts are delivered to the rolls, which are continuously rotating, such that the shells engage between the rolls and are carried through and squeezed sufficiently hard to force the meat outwardly and onto the ridges. The removed meat is supposed to ride along the ridges while the shells are carried through the rolls. The axes for the rolls are inclined relative to one another such that the line of contact between the two rolls is inclined. Thus, the meat works it way along the line of contact and drops from one end of the rolls while the shells fall from the point of engagement between rolls. Thus the meat is claimed to be effectively separated from the crab backs. A water jet is provided to help wash the meat toward the meat discharge end of the contacting cones. Both the cone shaped rollers are coated with neoprene of one and one quarter inches thickness. The neoprene is preferably of forty durometer hardness to facilitate pulling of the shells between the rolls in formation of the longitudinal or axial ridges when the conical rolls are pressed together. The rolls, since they are held in a substantially horizontal orientation, must operate to press the shells such that the meat is forced in an upward direction. There is therefore a tendency for the meat to be drawn downward between the rolls regardless of the longitudinal "ridges". Further, there is little assurance that the parts will be oriented properly with the exit orifices for the meat located in the proper orientation with respect to the rolls. If oriented otherwise, the shell and meat will be drawn through the rolls without the meat being extracted therefrom.
Other known forms of machines utilized to separate crab meat from their exoskeleton utilize horizontally oriented rolls. In this form, somewhat similar to the "ringer" of old style washing machines, an operator feeds the crab parts between two horizontal closely adjacent rotating rolls. An example of this form is shown by U.S. Pat. No. 2,660,754 granted to F. O. Roshko on Dec. 1, 1953. The operator is in a somewhat precarious position since he must manually feed the parts between the squeezing rolls. Thus, the safety capabilities of such systems are minimal. However, the crab parts are oriented in a substantial horizontal position during the squeezing process so a slightly more effective separation of the meat from the shells is realized over the forms by which the meat must be pressed upwardly from between rolls. Even so, a depressingly high precentage of the meat is dragged through the horizontal rolls and must therefore be shredded and sold as riced meat.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,574,044 to Lapeyre, granted Nov. 6, 1951 discloses a shrimp peeling machine that makes use of a multiplicity of rollers for removing the exoskeleton of the shrimp. The shrimp are delivered to and move axially along the rollers while the rollers oscillate about their axes. The shrimp are thus "pinched" between adjacent rolls, then shifted to another set to be "pinched" again until the shell has been completely removed. Jets of water are used to clean the shell and slime from the rollers.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,838,786 to J. M. Ward, issued June 17, 1958, discloses an apparatus for extracting crab meat. Actually, this apparatus is designed to make hand "picking" or separating crab meat from shells more efficient. Thus an operator uses a hand held fluid pressure gun to "blow" the crab meat from its surrounding shell. Various provisions are made for manually and automatically handling the crab carcasses.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a machine for separating crab meat from its associated exoskeleton in a more efficient manner than has been previously recognized with conventional machines.
An additional object is to provide such a machine that is considerably safer since an elongated conveyor belt surface is utilized to receive the crab legs and bodies, to direct them between the meat separating rolls. Thus, there is little chance of an operator getting his fingers or hand crushed between the rollers.
A further object is to provide such a machine that is adjustable to enable its operation on different sizes of crab.
A still further object is to provide such a machine that will operate at a relatively high rate of speed as compared to hand operations.
These and still further objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description which, taken with the accompanying drawings, disclose a preferred form of the invention. It should be noted however that the description and drawings are given only by way of example to illustrate a preferred form of the invention and are not intended to place restrictions thereon. The scope of the invention is set forth only by the claims found at the end of the specification.